Five Is An Uneven Number
by vampout
Summary: Everyone's got somebody. Eliot's not used to feeling like the fifth wheel, in fact he doesn't like the feeling, not one bit! Hardison/Parker, Sophie/Nate, Eliot/Beer and football. Set sometime during Season 3. Spoiler from The Future Job. One shot!


_Disclaimer- I own nothing, all these brilliant characters belong to the fabulous writers at Leverage on TNT. _

_Pairings- Nate/Sophie Hardison/Parker and Eliot/Parker if you tilt your head, hop on one leg and pinch your nose. _

_Rated- T just in case. _

_A/N – I'm from Australia so I don't have a clue about American Football. Please forgive me for any mistakes, I don't have a Beta! _

_Enjoy!_

Five Is an Uneven Number

Eliot felt... left out.

It was a rare emotion for him. He'd been on his own so long that he'd never cared about not being included in 'activities'. Even when he attended school (on the days he did go) he never craved companionship. He kept to himself and he liked it that way.

People always left. He'd scare them away or he couldn't risk someone getting hurt. Attachments made you vulnerable, weak.

Then Nate happened. Then Hardison and Parker, and of course Sophie. Somehow he'd forgotten all about his lone wolf facade, about the risks and the danger he put not just them in, but himself too. He embraced all four of them and with time he came to care about each and every one of them, more then he'd ever say out loud.

So he hates himself for feeling it, but right now, in this moment... he feels like he's not needed.

Beer in hand, scowl firmly plastered on his mouth and his attention only about ten percent focused on the football game on the television screens. There's only one word to describe what he's doing.

Eliot Spencer is sulking.

"I don't see your normal company here tonight." Cora enquired, clearing an empty glass away from beside him.

Of course he couldn't find another bar to wallow in. He chose the one right under Nate's apartment_, just in case_ the date with Sophie went badly and Nate needed to bitch to someone about it. Not that he was hoping it would, especially after it took this long for him to come out and ask her...

"Nate's on a date."

"With Sophie?" she began to smile and Eliot could only nod.

"What 'bout ohh..." she clicked her fingers together, frowning a little, "I've forgotten their names."

"Hardison and Parker?" he offered.

"That's them."

Hardison and Parker. If he was being absolutely honest with himself he'd admit that those two were probably the ones who put him in this pathetic mood. They were currently sitting in a stadium, with box seats, at the very football game that was being flashed up on the screens above him.

They'd been driving to the airport, all three of them squished into the back seat of the hire car they rented for a job in Chicago. Hardison and Eliot on the outsides and Parker in the middle. The radio was quietly buzzing with a long block of ads and the conversation had just begun to lull when Hardison tried to unsuccessfully have a private conversation with Parker. Eliot could hear everything. With a job like his he needed to have excellent hearing otherwise he would have probably wound up dead years ago.

Hardison asked her if she wanted to go to the football... with _him._ As in a date. And of course, being Parker she asked what she presumed was the next most logical question, _'Why?'_

So began Hardison's awkward explanations and nervous collar tugging. When Parker finally agreed she turned to Eliot and asked if he wanted to come too.

Oh and he wanted to. He wanted to so bad.

Not only was it his favourite team playing, but the idea of Hardison taking Parker out on a date made his insides constrict almost painfully. (He didn't know why, maybe it was the chilli he ate earlier, it couldn't and it wouldn't be his protective instincts kicking in... nop, no, it couldn't be...)

But Hardison had shot him a look as soon as she said it, mouthed the word _no_ repeatedly and he got the not so subtle hint.

He'd told her he was 'busy'. She'd frowned but left it alone.

She had no clue it was a date.

Sophie did though, they'd got ready at Nate's together and she'd made her dress up a little and wear a dressy pair of heels instead of her usual Converse. She'd come down the stairs, rubbing at her eye and smudging her mascara everywhere. He watched the whole thing, silently amused when Sophie began to scold her.

She looked better without it anyway.

He'd only come over because he'd left something there and then somehow he'd struck up a conversation with Nate. That's how he learnt he was taking Sophie to an art gallery opening night downtown.

Hardison had arrive about ten minutes after Sophie fixed Parkers make up, smelling of a little too much cologne and wearing a semi formal button down shirt.

Eliot didn't stick around to see what happened after that. He bid his farewells and resigned himself to a night of watching the football by his lonesome.

Two years ago it wouldn't have bothered him. Not in the slightest.

But there were five of them. Uneven numbers. One of them was always going to miss out, and that someone was him.

"Eliot?" Cora waved her hand in front of his face and he realized once again he hadn't answered her straight away.

"They're at the game." He finally grumbled out, taking a rather generous gulp of his beer.

"Like a date or something?"

"Or something."

Cora wasn't unused to his surly attitude, but she knew when to leave well enough alone. A customer began to flag her down and she took the opportunity to escape from the conversation.

Eliot grumbled to himself again and tried his very best to return his attention back to the game.

At least his team was winning.

It was roughly fifteen minutes later when the bar door swung open and in walked the thief and the hacker, one looking rather jolly and the other... not so much.

Eliot had finally immersed himself completely in the game when he smelt Hardison's potent cologne. He turned around on his stool and sure enough, there was Parker grinning like the crazy person she was and Hardison standing awkwardly behind her.

"He forgot the tickets." She blurted out, bouncing on the balls of her feet.

Eliot began to smirk, about to make a teasing comment but Hardison cut him off before he could. "Don't man, don't say a word."

"Wasn't gonna say anythin'."

"Ah ha, of course not." He threw himself down on the stool next to him and Parker plopped down on the other side, waving Cora over to order another round of drinks.

"So you couldn't hack into their computer database thing-y and just-"

"No okay. I didn't take my laptop with me."

"But your phone-"

"He didn't take that one either." Parker pipped up. "I offered to steal us some..."

Eliot chuckled to himself, the only reason Hardison left his laptop behind was because he was nervous. He didn't just _forget_ his laptop. It was practically an extension of his body.

"Come on Nate, you have to be open to new experiences."

That was Sophie's voice.

All three of them turned at once to look at the newly arrived bickering 'couple'.

"There are just certain experiences I don't like having shoved in front of my face." Nate fired back, walking straight towards the team.

"You _chose_ the art gallery."

"Yes but I didn't realise it was going to be that type of art... If you can even call it art."

"I know it was a little graphic but you have to be open to interpretation."

"There was only one interpretation, and that starts with P and sounds like horn."

"See! This is why..." Sophie stopped mid sentence, her gaze narrowing in on Parker, "What are you doing here sweetie? Why aren't you two at the game?"

"Hardison was so nervous about the date he forgot the tickets." Eliot teased, unable to help himself.

"Date?" Parker frowned, "Tonight was a date?"

Hardison let out a groan and dropped his head onto the bar counter, pretending to hit it repeatedly.

Parker stared at him, frowning slightly. "What's he doing that for?"

"Never mind." Sophie told her, shaking her head at just how oblivious the thief could be.

"So everyone's night was a disaster?" Nate asked, more to himself then to anyone in particular.

"I don't know about that. I was perfectly fine watching the game here." Eliot lied; taking a sip of his beer and praying to God Cora didn't come over and make some sort of comment.

He wasn't going to tell anyone that his night just got a hundred times better just by them being there. Na ah, no way in hell was he admitting that.

"Hey, I thought you said you were busy tonight." Parker nudged him in his side and he scowled at her.

"I was," he motioned to the screen, "watching the game."

"But we were going _to_ the game."

"You were on a DATE Parker." Sophie cried exasperated.

"Okay, _sheesh._ I get that." Parker half glared, "Doesn't mean Eliot couldn't have come."

Eliot began shaking his head and he heard Hardison mutter something along the lines of 'oh for the love of all things holy.'

"Parker a date consists of two people," Nate explained, "three would just be... _wrong_."

"Oh," she laughed, half giggle, half embarrassment. "I didn't know that."

Sophie smiled a little, "Anyone would think you've never been on a date before."

Parker didn't reply for a moment, and all four heads turned to look at her simultaneously, making her pull a face. "I just... I never saw the need. A date always ends the same way, right? So why not just do it at the start."

Eliot's eyebrows shot up and Hardison gulped, while Sophie closed her eyes and Nate looked a little mortified.

Silence stretched on for an uncomfortable moment until Nate cleared his throat, breaking the tension, "Chinese anyone?"

****

They watched the rest of the game back up at Nate's apartment, boxes of Chinese food strewn across the coffee table along with three empty beers, a wine glass and half a glass of water. Sophie, Hardison and Parker were sitting comfortably on the long couch, while Nate sat on an armchair on the side closest to Sophie and Eliot sat on the floor, his back propped up against the side of the couch.

His football team ended up winning.

Sophie ended up falling asleep and Nate had very chivalrously taken her to his bed up stairs before returning back down to reclaim his seat.

Eliot was just about to say his goodbyes himself, but Hardison had suggested watching an MMA fight he'd recorded and he decided he could stay a little longer.

Half way through he moved up to the couch, his back beginning to ache.

Ten minutes later Nate told them he was going to bed and to let themselves out.

About fifteen minutes after Parker fell asleep on his arm. Hardison shot him a glare almost immediately and he tried to gently push her off , not wanting to upset his team mate.

As soon as her head was propped up against the couch and Eliot let out an inaudible sigh of relief she dropped her head back down onto his shoulder again. He tried again, but the same thing happened. Hardison could just get over it.

Parker didn't like him, not in a romantic type of way. At least he didn't think so. He had a feeling she just felt safest with him. She always seemed to gravitate to him unintentionally, sitting on the side of his chair or sometimes coming to stand next to him when they received word a con was in the process of going south. Just little things no one else picked up on, but he could. He was trained to.

Her actions only really started becoming obvious after he told her he could 'take care of' Dalton Rand for her. She'd only looked up at him for a split second but he could see the gratitude flash across her eyes.

_Yeah, okay, so maybe he was a little bit protective of Parker..._

He glanced down at the sleeping mass of blonde hair on his shoulder and had to stop himself from smiling. Sleeping was when you were most vulnerable, sleeping in the proximity of others meant Parker _thought_ she was safe. Sleeping and unconsciously making physical contact with someone meant that she _knew_ she was safe.

Eliot felt a sudden swell of pride.

Any grudges he still had about being left out tonight quickly escaped his mind. He didn't feel bitter anymore, they all came back to him after all. He might not be partnered off with another but he still had all of them. They all still had him.

Parker still had her safety cushion. Hardison still had a friend to wake him up when he fell asleep on his key board. Nate still had someone to glare disapprovingly when he reached for a bottle of Scotch and Sophie still had someone to come to when she was worried about a con or one of the others.

They still needed him.

"Like a family." He muttered out loud. _Ha_, he hadn't used that word in a long time.

"What was that man?" Hardison asked, thankfully missing what he said.

"Nothin'. Just thinkin'."

"Don't strain yourself."

He shot him a glare but Hardison didn't seem the slightest bit affected.

Parker shifted slightly, one of her hands suddenly making contact with his arm, weaving around the muscle of his bicep and tightening around him as though she was holding onto a pillow. He tensed slightly, unsure of whether or not to push her off. He was going to, at least he was, but that was before he saw the little carefree smile forming on her lips.

_Damn, he was getting soft. _

"My family," She muttered sleepily.

He tried to stop the smile begging to form, he tried really hard, but all the willpower in the world couldn't stop something as strong as that.

**A/N I can't believe you read the whole thing :p Thanks ! **


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